The Rebellious Son of a Rebel
by IllusiveButterfly
Summary: Ever wondered about Sage? Who is he? Where's he from? How did Damon meet him? Who's his dad? ...  Kind of linked to Damon's Story
1. Introduction

**This is just a small taster... Hopefully start writing it properly tomorrow! :)**

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><p>The French man began to walk down the deserted street, playing with the ring upon his third finger. He knew that if he took it off, life as he knew it would be over! But the real question; would that really be so bad? His life; would you call it a life? His existence was mundane and somewhat meaningless. Nothing satisfied his thirst for life; not girls, not work, not violence, not even blood. He wanted something more! But to work out what MORE was, he'd have to go back, trace his steps, work out exactly what was missing in his life.<p> 


	2. His New Rebellion

**First Chapter. Hope you like it. It's going to keep skipping back in time, showing us his past mingled with his present.**

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><p>The French man began to walk down the deserted street, playing with the ring upon his third finger. He knew that if he took it off, life as he knew it would be over! But the real question was; would that really be so bad? His life; would you call it a life? His existence was mundane and somewhat meaningless. Nothing satisfied his thirst for life; not girls, not work, not violence, not even blood. He wanted something more! But to work out what MORE was, he'd have to go back, trace his steps, work out exactly what was missing in his life.<p>

His life hadn't been like the lives of most vampires. He hadn't had a normal existence. He was born and bred a monstrous, killing machine or at least that's how he saw himself. He thought of his parents; their idea of parenthood was traditional in the dark dimension, it was brutal and unloving. Or at least that's how a human would describe it. His childhood had been pure blood lust; his father teaching him the family businesses, demanding that he follow in his footsteps.

He had of course rebelled, but his father had found his rebellion almost humorous. The others had been impressed by Sage's courage; it took a great amount of courage to stand up against Sage's father. However, Sage was unsure if it was courage that had instigated his rebellion or just a stupid, ignorance lack of fear. He would never admit it but he feared it was the latter.

He continued to think about his past as he walked down through the small American town. He had recently found himself doing the strangest things; like helping humans. He'd helped Damon and his girls that time in the dark dimension and he'd been so sure it was a one-time thing. But no, there he was again, helping Stefan not a week later with that little witch and the blonde one. He'd broken nearly all the rules and his father had fumed; he'd asked where his loyalties stood. Sage had been silently shocked. Words didn't come. He wanted to answer, but he had no answer. He had been sure his father would have found his new rebellion funny like every other, but this time something was different. He'd clearly had enough. "Sage, your games are becoming dull!" He'd said. Sage had walked away without a word. He didn't know what he could say, or what he should say.

He'd come back to Earth in the hope that he might find something here, but now that he was walking the same streets that had been full of humans just hours before he began to realise that the answer wasn't here. It was at that moment that he heard a voice in his mind calling to him, asking for help and as always he came to the rescue; saving the humans AGAIN. This time his father would not just be angry but he was certain there would be consequences.

He began to run. He wasn't that far from them. A few miles north. He wondered how Bonnie had managed to get herself in danger. Those three human girls were far too involved in the spiritual world to live long lives, unless they became a part of it… his mind wandered to the dark haired one, Meredith. He respected her. She was so calm and cool – nothing shocked her. She was something different. She wasn't any normal human girl. Of course that's partly because of her hunter parents, he thought. Then again not one of those three girls were 'normal'; Elena the leader, the guardian, the protector, Bonnie the witch, the child, the innocent, Meredith the hunter, the astute one, the perceptive one. They were definitely not normal.

On entering Fells Church, he realised what was happening from the thoughts of his friends. He knew the story before even setting eyes on them. Here he was again, helping the humans and for some reason that didn't make sense to him, he was glad to do it.


	3. Watching The Humans

**New chapter! Really hope you enjoy… please R&R.**

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><p>He had been with the humans in Fells Church for a day now. He was impressed by their determination. They were so determined to get Bonnie back. He had called on a friend, Darla, to help. They had had a 'thing' a few decades years ago and well somewhere along the line they had become friends. Darla and the other witch were working on spells to find Bonnie, but nothing seemed to be working. Elena was a mess. She felt responsible and the others blamed her. They had told Sage as much. Meredith had said those exact words, "I blame Elena" It was so unlike her to blame anyone, Sage had been shocked.<p>

So much had changed in the few days since their return from the dark dimension. Damon was alive again – Sage wanted to ask how, but he knew that now was not the time. Damon was in love – again Sage wanted to ask how, but he knew that now definitely was not the time for that conversation. Meredith had a brother, Christian and Sage could tell that Meredith hadn't had time to adjust or even think about it properly. Sage had asked her about it but she had closed the conversation down almost immediately. Meredith was not one for sharing her feelings, especially with a vampire; the hunter in her couldn't afford to show weakness. She was a girl after Sage's own heart. He had never been one for sharing, always preferring to keep his distance. But he had to admit that the dark haired girl intrigued him. He found himself watching her, trying desperately to understand her better.

Matt or Mutt as Damon referred to him as, was an interesting one. He was not romantically involved with any of the girls and yet he was incredibly protective of them all. In the human world it would be described as brotherly love. In the vampire world no such thing existed. The life of a vampire was a solitary existence until you found a mate and then it was the two of you against the world. Stefan and Damon were the only exception he had ever heard of, and they proved the point with their jealousy and discord. That was why Sage was so surprised by Christian's presence in the house. The long lost vampire brother? Something about it just didn't ring true. He could never tell Meredith that though, so instead he would watch. So far he seemed to be enjoying the chance to get to know his sister and he seemed to be trying to help as much as possible with the search for Bonnie.

Sage was sat in the garden talking to Meredith about everything that had happened. She was filling him in on all the details. He sat there besides her completely shocked. Of course, his expression remained the same; he was a vampire after all. "Can't you at least look shocked?" Meredith asked.

"Sorry. I am shocked. It's just a vampire thing; it's easier to hide emotion when you're dead." Sage apologised.

"Well, could you try to make your face express your emotions? It makes conversation slightly challenging." Meredith replied.

"I will." He said, opening his eyes wider and allowing his jaw to drop in what he hoped looked like a 'shocked' expression.

Meredith exploded with laughter. "Oh Sage, you do look a sight!"

"Why thank you very much!" Sage sulked, purposefully pulling his face into a pout. Meredith began to laugh harder.

"Thank you for cheering me up." Meredith smiled at him when she had finally stopped laughing.

"That's ok. Now will you please tell me about your brother?" Sage replied, genuinely interested.

Meredith was shocked by the sudden change in conversation but obliged after all Sage was a friend. Vampire he might be but he had saved hers and her friends lives more than once. "Erm… Klaus."

"Excuse me? What about Klaus?" Sage asked.

"Klaus. He attacked my family when I was a child. I had a twin brother; Christian. Klaus made us drink each other's blood. He made me into some sort of vampire – different though. I don't really know what I am, to be honest. I only need the tiniest bit of blood and I don't know what would happen if I didn't get it. At home we have blood pudding and stuff like that all the time. Now I know why." Meredith stopped for breath and Sage was glad for his vampire abilities. Hiding his true horror at this tale was saving Meredith a lot of pain. Instead he smiled gently at her to continue.

"I only found out recently that I had a twin brother. I had been blocking out the memory. Then when Damon was stuck on that moon, Christian rescued him. Damon brought him here to meet me and we sat up talking for hours when he first arrived. I still don't know what I think. I mean, I know it doesn't matter to you because you are one too, but he's a vampire. Stefan is different. Stefan is my friend because he doesn't want to be a monster; he feeds on animals rather than hurt humans. I respect that." Sage frowned gently at her words. She clearly didn't think very highly of him, after all he was exactly that; a monster. Monster Sage, the vampire who preys on the weak, drinking human blood… She didn't even know the worst of it. She'd never met his father. "Damon's only redeeming quality is Bonnie. She seems to be changing him and the best bit is she doesn't mean to. She is happy with him how he is; the evil bloodsucker he is, but he's changing. Only problem is: she's not here to see it!"

This made Sage chuckle. The idea of Damon having any redeeming quality was a novelty idea to him but it filled him with hope. "Do you think I have any redeeming qualities?" He asked shyly, not that Meredith would notice.

"Many." She replied simply, "I barely know you, but I can see you are good."

"But I'm a bloodsucking monster just like Damon!" He blurted out.

"Maybe. But I think everyone's destiny is yet to be decided. You can be whoever you choose to be." She said honestly. "That's the problem with Christian. I've yet to find his redeeming quality. Once I do, I'm sure I'll be more at peace about it all."


	4. Killing Her

**Hey guys, sorry its been a while. Started back at uni this week so its been manic. Really hope you like the new chapter. It also gives you a few sneak peaks into Damon's Story. Please Review.**

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><p>Sage couldn't believe what his father was demanding of him. When he'd asked for his help, he hadn't expected this. His demand, his only condition was a terrible one. He had wanted to scream out when his father had said it and he had wanted to scream again when he had told him that he had to do it. She was to die at his hand. His father had kept his word and they had succeeded. Bonnie was safe.<p>

It had been several weeks since they had stormed in to that old deserted building and rescued her. They had made it just in time. Seconds later and Bonnie would have already gone through the change, but Lucifer had quickly dealt with Malachi as Bonnie lay dying in Damon's arms. He had quickly exchanged blood with her. He didn't have it in him to kill her to complete the change. Sage did though. He broke her neck and then they all waited. Weeks later, Bonnie was beautiful. Her vampirism had enhanced her natural beauty. Now when she walked into a room every eye focussed on her – not just Damon's.

However, there was a darkness looming over the group. Meredith and Elena had to keep their part of the deal. Sage and Stefan had to keep theirs. They were unsure who had the hardest task. The vampires who would change them or the girls facing death. Sage knew that he was condemning Meredith to a dark life, a terrible existence. One that he had never enjoyed. Stefan equally felt guilty. He was partly glad at the idea of keeping his Elena forever but he resented the fact that it was so soon. She would miss out on so much.

"I'm so sorry Meredith." Sage said on the night of her transformation. "I wish I didn't have to do this."

"Sage, I agreed to it. I made the decision. You have nothing to feel guilty for." Meredith could already see remorse in his eyes.

"But you deserve a normal human life with Alaric. You will never have that now. I'm taking it from you."

"No. I gave it up for Bonnie. Besides, I haven't seen Alaric for months. He will understand. Bonnie means more."

"You wrote to him? To explain?" Sage asked.

"Yes." Meredith replied simply. Sage nodded. He began to walk towards her. "Sage, you'll show me the world won't you?"

"Of course, Meredith. I will show you every treasure this world has to offer." Sage said honestly.

"And you won't let me become a heinous bloodsucking murderer?" Meredith had real concern in her eyes.

"Mon cher, you could never be heinous, but I promise you I will not allow you to do anything that will cause you pain. I will save you from remorse. You will never kill, I promise."

"I'm ready." Sage looked down at her, his little clever human and he wondered what he would think of her when she was no longer human. Would he still feel drawn to her, when her purity was gone? He drew back his gums and bit her gently at the base of her neck, brushing her hair aside with his fingertips. She gasped but did not struggle. She felt a wave of emotion hit her, but it was not her own. She tasted Sage's thoughts and felt a love that she would never be able to describe with mere words. He loved her. His bite felt as soft as a kiss and the sensation of her blood leaving her body felt like a rush of pure ecstasy. She moaned with desire as she relished in Sage's thoughts. His thoughts were consumed with images and memories of her face, her scent, her voice, her aura, her blood, her touch. Every part of his mind was concentrating on her. He loved her. All too soon, he removed his teeth from their hiding place beneath her skin and pulled out a knife to slit his own neck. He pulled her towards the pool of blood that was gathering there and asked her to drink. She drank instinctively, following the instructions of a lover. As she drank, she felt his voice in her mind, _you've seen my heart now mon cheri. What do you say to spending the rest of eternity with me?_

_But you hate being a vampire, even more than Stefan… _Meredith began, confused by the deepest parts of his thoughts. _Why would you…?_

_Maybe with you by my side eternity won't be as dull as I anticipated. I understand if you can't… because of Alaric…_

Meredith thought of her relationship with Alaric. They had been distant for a long time and she wasn't completely sure that he had been faithful to her as he travelled the world. Sage was so different to Alaric. But Meredith had seen Sage's soul and beneath that gorgeous manly exterior there was a heart that wanted her. _Eternity is an awfully long time… how do you know you won't get bored?_

_Bored of you my little clever human? Never! Impossible!_ Sage was clearly indignant at the idea.

_Ok, Eternity it is. _Meredith answered.

_Together? _Sage wanted to be certain.

_Yeah, Sage. Don't turn into one of those twilight moments where we're all like together forever… _Good old Meredith always so grounded and stable began to giggle.

They continued exchanging blood until the early morning. They sat together in the small first floor bed room. Sage put a new ring upon her finger before kissing her softly and saying goodnight. Meredith closed her eyes. She knew that whenever she woke up she wouldn't be the same Meredith. She'd be something else. A vampire. Once Sage heard her breathing change – the sign that she was asleep, he snapped her neck instantly killing her, and waited. He waited for her to wake up. He sat watching her eyes, waiting for them to open.


	5. Waiting For Eternity

**Heya, this is just a short chapter. I'll upload another today so don't worry. Please review. Hope you enjoy it.**

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><p>He had been sat there waiting for what felt like an eternity. Every second felt like a thousand hours. For a vampire time passes differently than for a human, but this was something else. This was excruciating. He couldn't take his eyes off her. The longer he waited, the more he worried. What if something had gone wrong? What if he hadn't done it right? <em>Wait! <em>Sage thought to himself _Of course I did it right. I've been changing people for years. The dark dimension is full of my princesses. _He continued to worry, however. She needed to wake up and soon. His father would return soon and he would want to see proof. Sage began to wonder what the world would be like when he had Meredith by his side. He couldn't deny that she held a certain place in his heart. A place no one else had managed to reach. He would tell her anything. He would do anything she asked. If he wasn't careful, he was at risk of becoming a monogamous vampire. He shuddered at the thought. He was nothing like Stefan. But then in fairness even Damon seemed to have settled down with Bonnie. In fact, Sage thought to himself, _they seem happy. Damon seems happy. Maybe it's not that bad an idea. I mean… what's the worst that could happen? _He shuddered as his mouth almost uttered the word, _love. _Love terrified Sage. With his job, you couldn't afford to love. It was a risk. Too great a risk. He would never risk Meredith's life by loving her. That would be too selfish.

If only he could escape the job; but problem was, it wasn't so much a job as a family business. He couldn't really just quit. In fact he was certain that if he tried it might very well be the death of him. Sage sat on the edge of the bed, waiting for Meredith to wake from her deadly slumber. His mind turned back to the dark haired girl, _besides she'd never love me. She loves Alaric. He's far safer for her. She deserves to be safe. The further away from me she is, the better. _For the first time in centuries, he felt a tear in his eye. He tried to stand up; to leave but his body wouldn't move. He couldn't leave the dark haired girl. She needed him, even if she didn't want him. The worst of it was he needed her. His entire being craved her. Not just the blood he had tasted, but her mind, her heart, her body. Something had changed. He had changed. He was pulled to her by some invisible cord. Then again, he was her sire. That was a connection that wasn't easily broken. A bond that lasted forever.

He knew there was nothing he could do but wait.


	6. The Hunt

**Hey, really hope you enjoy it. :) Please review! Would so love to know what you think.**

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><p>Sage jumped when Meredith finally opened her eyes. He had been waiting so long, he had almost given up hope. He wasn't sure how to proceed, he didn't want to scare her. <em>Meredith,<em> he called with his mind,_ Can you hear me? _There was no response, unless you counted the confused expression on her face._ Meredith, do you remember who I am? _Still nothing._ I am your friend, Sage._

Finally something like recognition crossed her face. She knew him. _Sage? Why? How? What happened?_

_I had to change you. I'm so sorry mon cher. My father insisted. Do you remember?_ She simply shook her head in response. It was such a slight move that a human would have missed it. _You and Elena had to change, so that we could save Bonnie. Do you remember agreeing to that?_

Meredith began to nod her head. She could remember. She remembered that evil bloodsucker Malachi, who had held Bonnie hostage. He had wanted to make her his mate. Something about her power. They had asked Sage's father – the devil – for help. They had made a deal with the devil; that if he helped them to save Bonnie they would become vampires. _I remember._

_You must be hungry mon cher. We should hunt mon ange._

Meredith looked confused, _what did you call me?_

Sage almost blushed, before saying out loud, "I called you my angel."

"Oh. Ok." Replied Meredith, now blushing as deeply as Bonnie often did.

"Do you want to hunt?" Sage asked gently.

She didn't want to say it so instead she thought it,_ I don't want to become a murderer. I don't want to hurt anyone._

Sage pulled her into an embrace, whispering in her ear, "Ma beauté aux cheveux foncée, je vous protégera. I promise you, I will protect you. You will never know that sort of regret. Vous ne saurez jamais ce que c'est d'avoir du sang sur les mains."

Meredith sniffed, "What did you just say?"

"I said; My dark haired beauty, I will protect you. I promise you, I will protect you. You will never know that sort of regret. You will never know what it is to have blood on your hands." He said before kissing her softly on the forehead.

"I think I need to learn French." Meredith giggled.

Sage chuckled, "That depends on if you decide to stay with me."

Meredith grew confused once more, "Why wouldn't I?"

"Plusieurs raisons ma chére. Many reasons." Sage sighed sadly.

"I don't understand." Meredith commented.

"Firstly, you love Alaric. You should be with the one you love, ma fille."

"But I… I care about you too. I don't want to leave you." Meredith replied.

"But you should. It will be safer for you to be far from me. My father is the devil for sake bonté. It isn't safe. My family is not a place for an enfant innocent comme vous."

Meredith knew enough French to know when she was being called a child. "I'm not a child!" She felt slightly childish right now though, if she were honest.

"I know ma fille. You are not a child, you are a great, strong woman, who could win almost any fight – with a vampire. But ma famille est different. They are something darker than vampires. Something far worse."

"What are they?" Meredith asked.

"It is difficult to explain." Sage was frustrated.

"Try. Please." Meredith asked softly.

"Pour toi mon amour je marcher à travers les portes de l'enfer et retour but this is a long story."

Meredith retorted, "I think I might need a French to English dictionary for this conversation."

"Sorry, ma fille. I said that for you my love I would walk through the gates of hell and back but this is a long story."

Meredith's heart melted slightly, "I like long stories."

"But aren't you thirsty?"

"Well yes… but I'm sure there's some blood around here somewhere. It's the boarding house for crying out loud. Vampires are the number one resident." Meredith laughed gently. "Come on lets go hunt for blood."

Jokingly, she began to tip toe from the room. Sage followed close behind her, struggling not to smile at her little game. They did not come across anyone else. Clearly Elena had not woken up yet. When they reached the kitchen, Sage smelt the rich aroma of blood coming from the fridge. He pulled out a blood bag – clearly someone had been to the blood bank. Meredith smiled. Sage put the bag in the microwave to heat it up to body temperature. "It'll taste better I promise." He said when Meredith looked at him inquisitively.

Once Meredith's appetite for blood was sated she looked to Sage, "Will you tell me your story?" She almost begged him with the combination of her words, her eyes and her thoughts. He couldn't resist. Seconds later, they had closed themselves back in the upstairs bedroom and Sage was taking a deep breath, preparing himself – he was about to tell a story he had never told anyone. People knew parts of it, but for the first time in his entire existence, someone would know everything.


	7. Sage's Story

**Hey everyone, hope you enjoy! sorry for the delay! Merry Christmas...**

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><p>He didn't know where to start. <em>Well, you've met my father. To tell the story of my family, I have to start with him. His story is even longer than mine, you may grow bored mon cher.<em>

_I'll cope. _Meredith smiled at him, in anticipation.

_Well, my father has always had a lust for power. That's why he is so disinterested in vampires; their power is the most primitive power, nothing to interest him. His greatest delight is witches. Father lived in heaven with Dieu. He was what humans call an angel. One of the chosen few, hand-picked by Dieu to live out eternity in happiness and peace. No sickness, no pain, no anger, just peace. But peace wasn't enough for my father. He wanted everything, he had a lust for power. He watched the humans, the vampires, the witches, the demons down in the other dimensions and he envied them. He began to visit the other dimensions. Every night, he heard a sort of sirens call. Someone calling his name… Lucifer. He searched every dimension for the person that voice belonged to. Finally after almost ten years, he found her. She was a beautiful witch, with black hair and big, dark , chocolate eyes. He found her in Paris. My mother. Straight away, he loved her. She had a dark, powerful aura. Just as powerful as Bonnie's. I told you Bonnie was powerful. My mother is the most powerful witch I have ever known. However, Dieu had laws against the mixing of magical blood. It was a sin for my father to marry her, to love her, to have her bare his children. Dieu told my father he had to choose. Her or eternity. He couldn't have both. Father's pride would not accept Dieu's words and so he tried to take heaven from Dieu. Father failed and was expelled from heaven. That is why he dislikes Malachi so much. Malachi is one of Dieu's many sons. Malachi, however, was allowed to stay in heaven even with his addition to power, his lust for witches. Father couldn't understand, it seemed so unfair. He had been expelled for love whilst Malachi was allowed to live in lust._

Meredith sat in silence as she listened to Sage's story. She felt slightly sorry for Lucifer.

_My father felt the need to protect my mother from Dieu. So he began to grow an army of demons, witches and vampires… even angels. That's why he wants Darla. He is desperate to protect the family. Or at least that's one reason. A second part of him has never really given up on the idea of stealing heaven from Dieu. A foolish dream._

Sage waited for Meredith to say something but she kept quiet so he decided to continue. _My father and mother fell in love and had children but the children were cursed by Dieu. They were all immortal, but not in a heavenly peaceful way. They would live forever, walking through the different worlds, the different dimension, never belonging. They would be the guardians of the gatehouses, they would spend most of eternity alone. They would be responsible for the souls of humans, vampires, witches, and demons. They would take them to their final resting place. If they were chosen then they would go to heaven and become angels but if they were not chosen… well then they were ours for the taking. That is my father's business, the procuring of souls for the second kingdom._

_The second kingdom? _Meredith was confused.

"The second kingdom, I suppose the humans would call it hell. It's not really as bad as they make it sound. It's just like the dark dimension, I suppose." Sage replied. _I was responsible for collecting vampires and so I have vampiric abilities, my brother Michael is responsible for humans so he is human._

"How does that work? Humans aren't immortal." Meredith asked.

_He dies._

_He dies?_

_He dies, about every 70 years. He ages like any other human and he dies. Then he comes back to life as a seventeen year old and starts the whole process again._

_Wow. _Meredith didn't have words to describe her confusion at what Sage was saying.

Sage continued with the rest of his story. _Then there was my sister Lizzie. She was a witch and responsible for collecting the witches' souls._ Then my demon brother Thomas. My brother Caleb is something different altogether; he's an angel.

I see…

_Meredith, I understand if this is too weird for you._

_No. Sage, I'm fine – keep telling me. I want to know._

_Er… if you are sure. One of Dieu's rules was that we could never fall in love, we'd be forever alone. For centuries we did as Dieu commanded, obeying his rules, but I rebelled. I refused to keep his rules. I liked a girl, she was a witch. I didn't love her but I wanted to. I was very young and naïve. Dieu had her killed. He had her murdered. Her name was Alexia._

_I'm really sorry, Sage. _Meredith saw genuine sadness in Sage's normally happy face.

_Oh Meredith, don't be sorry. My siblings all had similar situations happen to them. My mother was torn by it, completely devastated. She decided to perform a spell. She wanted to break that part of the curse. We thought she'd failed until about four centuries ago my brother Michael fell in love with Victoria. When Victoria, we call her Tori, didn't die, my mother performed a new spell that resulted in her and all their offspring being reincarnated just like Michael. They have about twenty children now._

Sage could sense that Meredith was overwhelmed. _Sorry. It's a lot to get your head around._

_It's ok. Keep going._

_Caleb was next. He fell in love with an angel, Arianna. She had to leave heaven to join him. None of us believed it would happen. We were so surprised when she arrived at our family home. They now have four children. Lizzie has found a witch husband, Lewis. They have only two children, but Lizzie is pregnant with their third. Thomas and myself are the only ones who remain alone. My mother is constantly asking if we've met anyone recently._ Meredith was sat quietly listening to Sage.

_My mother worries because I am constantly rebelling. There are so many rules. We aren't allowed to love outside of our own species. So Thomas must marry a demon and I must devote my life to a vampire. I suppose you could say I have it easy because I can change the people I care for, transform them into a vampire, unlike my siblings. I don't see it that way though. The vampire curse is not something I want to give the one I love. Half a century ago I ran into Damon, and on our travels we met a young human girl, she was Italian. Her name was Lucia. I cared about her more than I'd ever cared for anyone before her but I refused to change her. I wanted to protect her from my life. But when Dieu realised how I felt for her and that she was human he had her killed. I wasted her life. I held myself responsible. I should have changed her. I vowed that day that I would never love again. I also told myself that I would never allow myself to get involved in the life of humans. I broke both of those promises. _Sage watched for some response from Meredith. When she merely smiled kindly, he continued with his story.

_When my father commanded that you be turned it was because I have been too active in yours and Elena and Bonnie's lives for it to go unnoticed. You were in danger from Dieu. He would have had you all killed, just in case. You see, I'm not really allowed to interfere in the lives of mortal humans or witches for that matter. In his own way, he was trying to save me from the pain of losing the one I love. He realised within seconds that I loved you. I was hoping he'd have no idea, that I would be able to hide it from him, but he knows me better than I thought he did. I'm so sorry. It would be better for you, if you stayed away from me. It would be better for you if you had nothing to do with me or my family. I'm so sorry for getting you involved in all of this._

Meredith looked directly into Sage's eyes and saw that he was severely grieved by what was happening. _I'm so sorry, mon cher._

_You love me?_

_More than life itself. It terrifies me. I've lived so long, I have seen the worst and best of love. I have seen the joy it brings but I have also seen the pain. I can't ask you to stay with me._

_Sage, you don't have to ask. It's my choice. I want to stay with you. You promised me, you'd show me the world._


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